The Secret of Writing Retreats

How writing away from home can make all the difference

Once or twice a year, I manage to slip away from home to stay in a place where I’m safe and comfortable, and most importantly undisturbed.

While I’m gone, I still have a few responsibilities. The pets expect me to feed them. My stomach expects me to feed it. And my sense of shame expects me to do the dishes.

But there’s something special about staying in a temporary place to get some writing done. I spend less time worrying if the bathroom is clean or if the lawn needs to be mowed, and more time in my magical fantasy land of imaginary friends.

Although there are still interruptions, they are fewer. The worst offender is me, so there is that. But I feel like I can talk aloud, I can act out the movements of my characters, make the rude hand gestures, yell bad words in other languages. I can giggle and do the happy dance when I write something that feels just right.

It’s not that I can’t do these things at home. It’s that there are other things on my mind. Did the dryer stop? Who is ringing the doorbell? Wow, I really need to vacuum this place. Did I put on pants before I went to the mailbox?

But when these little things fall away, even for just a week or two, I can really burn up the pages. I can see the connections between all the books I have planned. I can really get into the heads of my characters. I assure you, my characters don’t care if the dishwasher needs to be emptied.

When the time to return home comes, I’m usually ready for it. I do wish I was this productive every day, but I remind myself that there needs to be a balance. Also, I usually eat and drink more when I’m at my retreat, so I’m sure my bathroom scale appreciates the return to normal.

Have you ever been to a writing retreat?

How was it different from your regular writing experience?